Looking to satisfy a sweet tooth? Here are 7 of our favorite Brevard desserts
Nothing screams “celebrate a New Year!” like a good dessert, and Brevard’s chefs do create them them, from magnificent meringue on key lime pie to bananas stirred into a decadent, tropical cake or arranged artfully a plate with liberal dashes of toffee and chocolate.
Things magically sweet may change regularly on menus at well-received restaurants across the Space Coast, but then there are plenty of post-meal specialties that will draw diners in their own right: sumptuous signature desserts.
There are far too many of them to name here, of course, but restaurants that produce signature desserts with well-earned reputations include:
Dove III: After-dinner biscuits
836 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne, 321-725-3683, facebook.com/thedoveiii
Sometimes, the simplest of offerings make the meal, and at the Dove, the post-meal biscuits (cookies) are among them. They’re Italian-style, not over-sweet, but hot and full of flavor, including vanilla and lemon. Our favorite is almond, perfect with sweet wine. Owner Carlo Mattiello should bag these treats and sell them.
Ember & Oak: The Peanut Butter Bar
712 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne, 321-722-6285, emberandoak.com
This E&O original isn’t precisely cake, nor is it a pudding or brûlée. It combines peanut butter with white chocolate powder, caramel corn, toasted house-made marshmallow and salted bourbon caramel ice cream.
The Fat Snook: Mile High Key Lime Pie
2464 S. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, 321-784-1190, thefatsnook.com
Key lime pies may be everywhere in Florida, but they’re nothing like the Snook’s, which has crust that includes almond and cacao nibs, as well as tart key lime juice. But it's that glorious mountain of meringue that makes this dessert irresistible.
Florida’s Fresh Grill: Mama Sue’s Fresh Carrot Cake
2039 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, 321-613-5649, floridasfreshgrill.com
You’ve had plenty of carrot cake. You may have made plenty of carrot cake. This one is a big slice of gooey, nutty, moist, tropical-flavored deliciousness slathered in cream cheese frosting, drizzled in caramel and sprinkled with candied nuts, tropical-style. You can taste the carrots . . . and the pineapple and the coconut.
Skewers Mediterranean Grill: Banana-Coconut Dream Cake
144 Fifth Ave., Indialantic, 321-727-8944, skewersgrille.com
People travel to the beach just for Joyce Smeen’s creation, which is rich in custardy filling with sliced banana, dusted with nuts and served with a puff of toasted coconut-sprinkled whipped cream. Go early. This cake almost always sells out.
Pompano Grill: Banoffee Tart
110 Brevard Ave., Cocoa Beach. Call 321-784-9005. www.pompanogrill.com
Oh, how Scots love banoffee pie, a dense, creamy combination of bananas, cream and toffee, and oh, how Scottish is Pompano Grill owner Jackie Sampson. Her version is a refined one: a delightful, manageable, sweet tart, beautifully plated. “I typically make a graham cracker crust, top that with my homemade butter toffee (a wee dram of whisky is added for flavour),” she said. “We then serve it garnished with a bruleed banana, fresh whipped cream and chocolate chards.”
Tuscany Grill: Italian Wedding Cake
6630 Colonnade Ave., The Avenue Viera, 321-757-7220, tuscanygrill.net
The cry went up after owner Gina Bach moved her restaurant to Viera: Would Tuscany Grill still have Italian wedding cake? Of course, Bach replied, and yes, she still makes it herself: a not-too-sweet, creamy, walnutty slice that is perfect for sharing.
Lyn Dowling is a freelance food and lifestyles writer based in Melbourne. Join the conversation at facebook.com/groups/321FlavorWhereBrevardEats.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Craving something sweet? Here are 7 of Brevard's best desserts
